Those with criminal past
The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) has announced it has secured a fair housing settlement of $10,000 over an apartment complex’s alleged discriminatory blanket ban on renting to individuals with criminal history in Inglewood. Sora Apartments are located at 417 Centinela Ave. There have previously been allegations that the property management and property owner had a blanket ban with regards to renting to tenants with criminal history that negatively affected Black renters. Additionally, it rejected a Black individual’s application to rent a unit at the property based on the policy. The settlement requires the property management company and owner to update their screening policies with the property in order to comply with state regulations related to criminal history in housing and complete fair housing training in order to help prevent any future discrimination.
“Everyone deserves a place to call home,” said CRD acting director Mary Wheat. “In California we’re taking action every day to push back against unlawful housing policies that can have a disparate impact on communities of color. Today’s settlement is an example of our ongoing efforts to support all our state’s residents and to identify, correct, and prevent discrimination.”
In 2022, CRD received a complaint against CIM Group LP, a global real estate company and a property owner, RACR Sora LLC had a conflict regarding an unlawful criminal records policy. The policy failed to take into consideration court documents that demonstrated the complainant had never been convicted of a crime. Under the California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, housing providers are prohibited from imposing a blanket ban on individuals with criminal histories.The regulations require that a decision to reject a rental application be based on a direct link between the conviction and a specific concern.
As a result of the settlement, the property management company and owner are required to comply with all federal and state housing laws, complete fair housing training, update their tenant screening policy to comply with state regulations, provide current and prospective tenants with information about their fair housing rights, and pay $10,000 to the complainant.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of discrimination, CRD may be able to assist you through its complaint process. For more details, visit calcivilrights.ca.gov.
